As Russia has become a weak sports link

The decision of the IOC can leave Russia without the World Cup.
18.12.2017
Versia
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Previous attempts to deprive Russia of the World Cup have not been successful. But the decision of the International Olympic Committee, which removed Russia from participating in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, radically changed the situation. In this regard, there is a risk that the scheme tested on our national Olympic committee will try to apply and in relation to the Russian Football Union. And then the question is not only the performance at the World Cup of the Russian team, but also the fate of the tournament itself.

FIFA President Dzhani Infantino has repeatedly claimed that there are no doping problems in Russian football. However, the head of the WADA commission, Richard McLaren, said there were more than 150 suspicious samples from our players and suggested that there was also a system of doping promotion in football. And although Infantino sharply denied this, noting that all Russian players during the World Cup were checked for doping and the samples gave negative results, the probability of punishing the Russian national football team is still very high. And the principle can be chosen the same as in relation to the Olympic team. FIFA will announce the imposition of sanctions on the RFU and its leadership. Not without reason, at the head of the RFU stands the already suspended IOC for life from participation in the Olympics Vitaly Mutko.

The team for the players is not responding

In the leaked to the press list allegedly doping players appear all the players of the Russian national team who participated in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Although Infantino especially stressed: their doping tests, made not in Russia and not by Russian doctors, were clean. Samples immediately before the departure to the championship analyzed and RUSADA. Can we assume that this testing showed the presence of prohibited drugs from one of the players? It is not excluded: verification before major tournaments is usually carried out in order to identify deviations and then avoid disqualifications during the competition. It can even be assumed that the data on some positive analysis of RUSADA hid. But what is the likelihood that banned drugs were found in everyone? And what's the point of giving all players doping in the pre-contest period?

The temptation to use dope in football usually arises when a player, extremely necessary for a team, can not gain the usual physical conditions. Speech in this case is usually about the stars - those who for a long time acted at a high level without any doping. That's exactly what happened in his time with Egor Titov, who found the bromantan. However, taking dope and risking your career for the sake of team victory to individual players does not make much sense. That is why the most sensational scandals in the world of football were associated with the use of not doping as such, but illegal drugs. The famous Diego Maradona was kicked out of the World Cup after being found with traces of cocaine. On the same drug caught and midfielder CSKA Moscow and the national team of Roman Eremenko.

However, football has always adhered to the principle: the team should not be responsible for the sins of individual players. And the control system itself is built so that the team was almost impossible to disqualify for doping. According to article 11 of the WADA code, a team can be disqualified if more than two members of the team are found to be in violation of the anti-doping rules. And since in football after the match samples are usually handed down only by two players from each team, it is simply impossible to achieve "more than two". However, if more than one team member is suspected of violating the anti-doping rules, the whole team is subject to subject testing. But for this suspicion we need grounds.

Disqualification RFU will deprive Russia of the World Cup?

According to FIFA statements, the investigation is not over. At the same time, the federation is going to take into account the data provided by Rodchenkov, who very opportunely announced that he has extensive information about the doping system in Russian football. What can threaten Russia if FIFA follows in the footsteps of the IOC and decides to believe unconditionally everything that Rodchenkov said? First of all, the whole composition of the Russian national team at the World Cup can remove from football. However, this option is not the worst. It is quite a battle-worthy team to really create from other players. But if they decide to subject the RFU to punishment, Russia runs the risk of remaining not only without a national team, but without a world championship.

Here FIFA can use one of two scenarios. If the RFU is disqualified, it turns out that there is simply no one to organize the World Cup. Accordingly, Russia will automatically lose the right to conduct competitions. But there is another option. As a key partner, the Organizing Committee "Russia-2018" can be named. It was established as an autonomous non-profit organization by an order of the Government of the Russian Federation on January 17, 2011, and the RFU acted as a co-founder. On the FIFA website, the founders of this organization declared both the government and the RFU, but on the official website of the Organizing Committee it is written that it was established by a government decree, with the participation of the RFU in no way indicated. In the event of suspension of the powers of one of its co-founders, the Organizing Committee may well continue its activities. Then the competition in Russia will still be held, although the status of the Russian team will be in question.

What can the Russian side do now? The obvious decision is the resignation from the post of the head of the RFU Vitaly Mutko, since it is with his name that the doping scandals in Russia are associated. Such a step will help the FIFA management to draw a line between the previous violations and the current activities of the RFU. It should be noted that on the FIFA website Mutko is listed as the chairman of the Organizing Committee "Russia-2018" as the main leader. On the website of the Organizing Committee, all powers flow to the CEO Alexei Sorokin, and the Supervisory Board headed by Russian President Vladimir Putin is declared the supreme governing body. In Mutko, who was named as one of the deputies, the post of chairman of the Organizing Committee is generally marked only in parentheses.

Paralympics

Now the media pay great attention to the topic of the upcoming Olympic Games. However, do not forget that next year will not only be the Olympic Games, but also the Paralympics. The Russian Paralympic team was suspended from participation in the Olympic Games in 2016 in Rio, and to date the membership of the Russian Paralympic Committee in the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has not been restored. The final decision on admission of athletes from Russia to the games in Pyeongchang will be announced on December 22 in London. It is still difficult to say whether the Russian Paralympic athletes will be able to participate in the Games. It is not excluded that individual athletes from the Russian Federation will be allowed to perform at the Games in South Korea under a neutral flag. But does it make sense to go to Pyeongchang?

At the upcoming Paralympic Games our guys are likely to face incredible difficulties. First of all, apparently, unlike the participants of the national teams of other countries, they will have to undergo much more tests for doping. Another problem that Paralympians from the Russian Federation may face, if they decide to perform at the Games in Pyeongchang under the neutral flag, will be a possible non-availability of Russian masseurs, doctors and other specialists. At the same time, due to various physical characteristics, Paralympic people sometimes need the help of specific specialists. But in Pyeongchang it may be provided by people who are unfamiliar with the nuances of the health of athletes.

Because, probably, it makes sense for Russia to organize large-scale competitions on its territory with the participation of Paralympic athletes from other countries. In case of a positive decision, you do not even have to equip the sites for their conduct. All necessary infrastructure is in Sochi, where in March 2014 the XI Paralympic Winter Games were held. According to State Duma deputy Vladimir Krupennikov, the decision to organize international competitions in Russia should be taken after the IPC has passed a final verdict regarding the admission of our children to the Games in Pyeongchang.

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